Non-Traditional Holiday Color Palettes

It’s November, so it’s officially acceptable to start thinking and talking about the holiday season, right?

I have a very strict rule about playing Christmas music only after the Thanksgiving turkey has been eaten, but I think it’s okay — and maybe even smart — to start collecting ideas for the holidays. If you agree, keep reading… if not, I encourage you to bookmark this page and stop by again whenever you’re ready to start holiday decorating!

While I love traditional Christmas decorations, I’ve been thinking a lot this season about doing something a little different. Something not so RED and GREEN. I definitely don’t want to go out and purchase all-new decorations each year, but I do enjoy shaking things up. So, I’ve collected inspiration for three potential holiday color schemes, all a little quirky or non-traditional. I’d love for you to help me choose!

First up, Kraft & Plaid! By now, I’m sure you’ve realized that plaid was a huuuuge trend this fall, so why not sprinkle it into your holiday decorations, as well? I especially love plaid paired with kraft paper. Together they create such a cozy, welcoming, and almost cabin-esque vibe.

I think this design inspiration would be pretty easy to pull off without lots of big purchases. I’m envisioning ribbons as accents on gift packages or on the tree and repurposing plaid scarves or blankets as a table runner or even a wreath hanger { what a great idea, right? }. Plus, this would definitely give me an excuse to buy some antlers!

The second non-traditional holiday color palette I’m loving is REALLY unique — peach! This is by far the most non-traditional idea of the bunch, but the moment I spotted the image on the bottom left on Pinterest, I was hooked. What surprised me the most was how quickly I came up with lots of peach holiday ideas { I mean, peach bottle brush trees!? }.

The key here is to incorporate touches of gold and dark gray or black that will keep this pastel color from feeling too spring-like. Any takers on this one? It would be a challenge, but I love how unique and fresh it feels!

Last Christmas, I created displays of purely white & silver and I loved the simplicity and calming feel. As an added benefit, many of the decorations were easy to repurpose all year ’round { since they were just white }. If I take this approach again this year, though, I’m going to refresh it with wood accents. Pine cones, crates, and a white-washed chair would help it feel more rustic and maybe even Christmas-y, not just winter wonderland-esque.

So which one is your favorite? Are you now considering a non-traditional color palette for your holiday decorations this year? I’d love to hear and see what you create in the upcoming weeks!

{ All original images for these inspiration boards will be available on my ‘holiday done differently’ Pinterest board. Please hop over there to repin from original sources – and don’t forget to follow me, as I’ll be adding even more inspiration over the coming weeks! }